Burnley drug man in bid to steal DVDs

A CANNABIS dealer who was spared jail is now behind bars after going out shoplifting equipped for the job.

Burnley Crown Court heard how David Wain, 51, had gone into WH Smith in the town with a foil lined carrier bag to steal DVDs and cheat the shop's security tagging system.

But, “the petty thief for decades” was caught on CCTV and claimed his benefits had been stopped.

Wain had been given a 40-week suspended prison term last August 23, for possessing cannabis with intent to supply.

He has now been locked up for 22 weeks, after a judge activated 20 weeks of the term and added two more weeks on top for the shoplifting expedition.

The defendant, of Heap Street, Burnley, had admitted theft and going equipped for theft, committed last November 13, and had been committed for sentence by Pennine magistrates.

Stephen Parker, prosecuting, said Wain put some DVDs worth £80.90 in his foil lined carrier bag and left the shop.

He had been captured on CCTV and the goods were recovered.

He was questioned and said he had had no money.

Wain told police he no longer had drug or alcohol problems.

Dylan Bradshaw, for Wain, said he reverted to type after his benefits were suspended. The solicitor added: “He tells me it was a moment of stupidity and it was done to offer some payment to his landlord and to assist with bills and food.”

Sentencing, Judge Beverley Lunt said Wain had been a “petty thief for decades”.

She told him: “If you had been complying with the order and supervision I might have been sympathetic and able to defer sentence today, but you have not been in contact with the probation service since last October. Instead,you made a conscious decision to go out and steal DVDs.”